


Ōmisoka

by pinkoni



Series: Koi [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Akaashi Keiji & Kozume Kenma Friendship, Bokuto Koutarou & Kuroo Tetsurou Friendship, Bokuto Smokes Cigarettes but Don't Worry About It, Cute Ending, First Kiss, Fluff, French Kissing, Friends With Benefits, Friends With Benefits Secretly In Love, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, KuroKen Secretly Implied, M/M, MSBY Bokuto, Mutual Pining, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, New York City, No Angst, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Post-Time Skip, Pretty Much A Love Confession, Prologue, Prompt Fill, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Sweet, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, sex mention, tipsy bokuto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:08:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26023978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkoni/pseuds/pinkoni
Summary: American New Year’s Eve traditions help Bokuto and Akaashi finally come to terms with their feelings.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji & Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Series: Koi [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1888936
Comments: 2
Kudos: 42





	Ōmisoka

**Author's Note:**

> Fairly short + sweet, 3rd person pov "prologue" for my upcoming fic “Kazehana”
> 
> The storyline takes place in December following the MSBY v. Adlers match.
> 
> There’s a few songs in particular that I had on repeat while writing this — they're all from the same album.  
> If anyone is interested in listening along as they read for the "full experience", I highly recommend listening in this order.  
> \- On the Corner Where You Live by The Paper Kites  
> \- When It Hurts You by The Paper Kites  
> \- Deep Burn Blue by The Paper Kites

Akaashi feared that celebrating the New Year in America meant he would end up standing in the middle of Times Square to watch the ball drop at midnight: bumping into strangers and crammed into a crowd. The idea of standing in the cold for hours on a holiday and feeling the tips of his fingers freezing off was anything but appealing. 

Luckily, that never happened.

Instead, here he was at a magnificently lavish New Years Eve party: wandering through a grand penthouse suite in the middle of New York City. Akaashi was starting to regret coming as he desperately tried not to lose sight of Kenma in the crowd: who, for a fellow introvert, was talking an _awful lot._

Kenma decided to use his winter vacation to mingle with his new overseas business partners — having invited Akaashi to tag along on the pretense that he should take a break from work. Despite the seven manuscripts on Akaashi's to do list, Kenma assured him that deadlines could wait; and that stress would surely burn him out soon if he didn't put things on pause to relax.

Akaashi didn’t know what to expect when he agreed to go. It wasn't like he had plans for New Years otherwise, but he was certainly overwhelmed by the idea of “relaxing” half-way around the world; seeing as he wasn't exactly confident with his English speaking abilities, and had a distaste for extravagant celebrations. The party would would be _far_ more enjoyable if he actually knew more people instead of clinging onto Kenma the entire night, but every room was seemed filled with nothing but strangers.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed down hard onto Akaashi’s left shoulder; almost making him spill red wine all over his white sweater.

“A~kaashi-kun!” 

Turning, his face contorted with surprise and annoyance, Akaashi saw the devious smile of a slightly tipsy Kuroo Tetsurou.

“Kuroo-san?” he exhaled with a nervous laugh, relieved to see a familiar face “I didn’t know you were here?” 

“...Did you really bring him all the way to America and _not_ tell him?” Kuroo questioned Kenma, looking down to shoot him a passive aggressive glance.

“Ah~I guess I forgot to mention it.”

“...This is _my_ party. How did that very important detail slip your mind?”

“Hmm...don’t know.”

Akaashi smiled faintly, gently swirling his wine glass before turning it upwards and swallowing its contents: wondering how much else about this trip Kenma had "forgotten" to mention.

“Well, I guess I'm your first surprise of the night then, Akaashi-kun!” Kuroo said, fixing the watch on his wrist, and throwing an arm over Kenma’s shoulder. “I actually need to steal this guy from you for a bit though -- Trying to get him in touch with some of my American friends for our collaboration launch in the spring. Main reason we came all the way here, after all”

“Oh, sure” Akaashi mumbled, too quiet to compete with the loud music and chaotic party chatter.

“Sorry. We'll be back soon.” Kenma said monotonously, shoving his phone in pocket. “Why don’t you find someone to watch the ball drop with?”

“Wait, What? Kouzume, I don't know anyone here, I--” Akaashi stammered; thinking that he’d much rather leave the party and fend for himself out in the cold than find the confidence to socialize.

Kuroo whipped his head back towards Akaashi as he led Kenma out of the room, shouting in an attempt to speak over the sound of champagne bottles popping. 

“Go check the balcony!” 

Stunned and feeling betrayed, Akaashi sighed and made his way over to the bar to refill his glass; wondering what the hell that even meant, and deciding he might as well get drunk if he going to be left to his own devices like this.

Carefully pouring the same wine he’d been sipping for the last hour into his cup, Akaashi looked up briefly; just long enough for his eyes to catch the sight of an unexpectedly familiar figure leaning against the railing outside.

He understood what Kuroo had been hinting at.

Akaashi didn’t even try to find the coat closet before making a beeline for the balcony; he was just going to have to brave the cold.

Sliding the glass door open, he was immediately slapped in the face by a particularly powerful gust of wind. Exhaling hard and feeling a shiver crawl up his spine, Akaashi could see his breath in the air as he spoke; shaky and confused, yet urgent and hopeful. 

“Bokuto-san?” 

Bokuto’s back noticeably straightened up upon hearing Akaashi’s voice. Slowly turning, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, Bokuto’s eyes widened as they stared at each-other in silence; Akaashi ethereally haloed by the glow of the lights inside, and Bokuto's cigarette ashing onto his shoes.

Akaashi kept perfectly still as he stared back from the door; glad that he hadn’t been mistaken, and it really _was_ Bokuto.

Letting the realization that Kuroo and Kenma obviously planned this without telling either of them hang in the air, Bokuto broke the silence with a cough; possibly choking on the smoke, but mostly just from surprise.

“H-hey” he said, nervously putting his cigarette out; embarrassed as if he was a kid who’d been caught doing something awful.

“...Hey”

Akaashi, folding his arms to try and stay warm, smiled timidly as he walked over and leaned against the railing next to him. 

“...I didn’t know you smoked.”

"Oh, I..." Bokuto’s face flushed even deeper with guilt. “I only do it when I drink...sorry, guess I never mentioned it”

“It’s fine. I’m not judging you.” Akaashi shook his head, still smiling as he stared out at the city skyline. “I just didn’t expect it.”

"...so is it okay if I..?"

"sure, go ahead"

Bokuto's cheeks were burning, and he was glad that it was probably too dark for Akaashi to tell. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his cigarette pack, smacking the end until one fell into his open palm. Placing it in between his teeth, Bokuto cupped his hand over the end to light it. He inhaled as deeply as he could and and held it, desperately hoping that flooding his system with nicotine would calm his nerves.

“Kuroo got me into the habit. It sobers me up.”

“Did you drink a lot?” Akaashi asked quietly, noticing that the smoke smelled faintly of chocolate as it disappeared in the wind; trying to recall whether or not Bokuto handles alcohol well.

Bokuto laughed, turning around so that his back was pressed against the railing. “How could I not? Kuroo never told me we were throwing a huge party! I would’ve stayed home, coming here was _super_ last minute.” He took another long drag from his cigarette, and tipped his head back so that the smoke went upwards instead of blowing in Akaashi’s face.

“...I’m glad I came though.”

“...They didn’t have to do all this to get us to spend New Years together.” Akaashi muttered under a exhaled laugh, followed by a pause as he chose his next words carefully.“...I’m pretty sure Kenma invited me because he thought I wouldn’t have asked you to otherwise”

Akaashi hung his head and scoffed, mumbling to himself and trying to hide his face: only someone with as much money as those two would do something so goddamn elaborate. 

Six months ago, Bokuto and Akaashi conceded to becoming friends with benefits; neither of them realizing that the desire for an actual relationship had been mutual since highschool. Wrongly assuming the other couldn’t possibly want anything more, both of them settled anxiously on being happy with what they had, for fear of not having _any_ kind of relationship at all should they confess. Both of them walked tirelessly on eggshells: the fact that they both ended up in the same city seven-thousand miles from home without _either_ of them saying a thing was proof of that.

If sleeping together was supposed to make them more comfortable being open and transparent, it wasn’t working. 

Looking over his shoulder at Akaashi, who was clearly shivering from the cold as he vigorously rubbed his hands together, Bokuto's eyebrows knitted together tightly: clearly wondering why Akaashi came out without a coat.

“Aren’t you freezing?”

Akaashi, trying not to let his chattering teeth give him away, shook his head. 

“Not really. It was stuffy inside anyways, the cold is nice.”

Putting out his cigarette and exhaling his last puff, Bokuto took off his scarf and turned to stand in front of him; obviously not convinced. Delicately wrapping it around Akaashi’s neck, Bokuto ensured it wasn’t so tight that it strangled him, but snug enough that it kept him warm. 

Akaashi looked up into his face, in awe of his soft expression, and realizing that Bokuto was noticeably taller than he remembered. Back in highschool, they were nearly the same height. Akaashi must’ve finished growing. He wondered when, and how he never noticed.

Fireworks started exploding overhead, the brilliant colors scattering beautifully across Bokuto’s cheeks. His face had been too hard to admire in the dark before, and having it illuminated so suddenly made Akaashi's breath catch in the back of his throat.

If he had the ability to stop time, now would’ve been the perfect moment to use it.

Bokuto smiled as he finished wrapping the final section, tucking it in place before looking up to meet Akaashi’s gaze. He stiffened, inhaling sharply; almost as if he didn’t realize how close he was standing, before turning back to the railing with an awkward cough. 

Akaashi pulled the soft fabric closer to his cheeks, taking in the comforting scent of the chocolate smoke mixed with detergent; the same detergent he’d grown accustomed to smelling on Bokuto’s sheets.

“Thank you” he smiled, leaning against the balcony railing again; this time, placing himself close enough for their shoulders to touch.

Bokuto hummed in response, avoiding Akaashi's gaze, very deep in thought.

“So” Akaashi exhaled. “How’s everything going with the league? You must be happy to take a break.”

“Things are good — Busy.” Bokuto replied hesitantly, realizing he hadn’t seen Akaashi in over 2 weeks because of their busy schedules. They met up randomly, whenever they had time — their lack of planning surely played into Kuroo and Kenma keeping this entire thing a surprise.

“I'm glad I get to see you finally”

The last part slipped out, and Bokuto felt like slamming his head against a wall. 

“H-how’s work lately?” He stammered, hoping to change the subject before Akaashi could comment.

“Mm...stressful. I wish I had better connections with my coworkers.” Akaashi sighed with a smile.“That, and the pressure of the work itself. I’ve been second guessing whether my decisions are well-received after publishing a lot lately”.

Akaashi shrugged, turning to smile at Bokuto. “I wish I knew what people _really_ thought of me, you know?”

Bokuto paused. Akaashi was probably just thinking out loud, of course, but the tail end of his sentence felt painfully ironic.

_If only you knew._

Bokuto was searching for something to say, when suddenly the commotion inside surged. Everyone was gathered in the living room, the TV displaying Times Square — which had been growing louder in the distance, anticipating the ball drop. Bokuto and Akaashi turned towards the windows to make sure nobody was coming to try and bring them inside, and silently agreed to stay on the balcony. 

Facing back to the city, they sat in silence for a while; Akaashi purposefully exhaling hard to see his breath. Suddenly, Bokuto spoke.

"...Kuroo was telling me—” he muttered, his voice shaky.“—that at American New Year’s Eve parties, everyone tries to find someone to kiss at midnight…” he trailed off, avoiding Akaashi’s startled gaze.

“Oh yeah?”

“...Yeah”

Everyone inside was chanting as the countdown started, but all Akaashi and Bokuto could really hear were their own hearts beating.  
Neither of them moved.

_Ten!_

_Nine!_

Times Square was roaring.

_Eight!_

_Seven!_

Akaashi’s ears were ringing.

_Six!_

_Five!_

Bokuto felt like he was going to throw up; he wondered if he had too much to drink.

_Four!_

“...Koutarou.” 

_Three!_

Bokuto’s eyes widened, and his head snapping to look at Akaashi in shock; pretty sure it was the first time he’d ever heard him say his first name.

_Two!_

Akaashi turned to face him.

_One!_

Bokuto realized why.

_Happy New Year!_

Akaashi quickly grabbed the lapel of Bokuto’s coat, using it to pull him into a kiss.

Fireworks were sent soaring, and exploded overhead with a boom so loud it actually made Bokuto flinch; the colors flashing bright enough for Akaashi to see them through his eyelids. The sound of confetti poppers, overflowing champagne bottles, and cheering reverberated off the windows.

Bokuto was rigid, completely taken aback: happy his off-chance, oh-so-subtle hint actually worked. He inhaled strongly, desperately trying to ground himself, and then gave in. Turning his head to deepen the kiss, Bokuto grabbed Akaashi’s waist and pulled him closer; noticing just how cold Akaashi's lips were, and wondering if they had secretly turned blue from the frigid air. Suddenly feeling his glasses on his face, and fearful they might break them, Bokuto remorsefully pulled away.

“W-Wait, your glasses”

Seeing Akaashi’s face completely flushed when he looked down at him made Bokuto wish he’d just let the frames crack.

Akaashi gently took his glasses off, only to let them drop from his hand and onto the floor. Bokuto didn’t care; he was too busy grabbing both his cheeks to kiss him again. Neither of them cared to register that the windows weren’t keeping this moment private as their mouths melted together, Bokuto gently caressing the side of Akaashi's face as his arms wrapped around the back of Bokuto's neck and pulled him closer. Slipping his tongue into Bokuto’s mouth, he could taste the cigarettes he'd been smoking. Bokuto's gentle grasp on his face was starting to make his eyes water; this wasn’t the first time he'd held him, but Akaashi felt sorry that this was the only time it’d been for a kiss.

Wondering why had they never done this before, but concerned they might get carried away, Akaashi slowly broke his lips from Bokuto's and stared into his expectant eyes as they shakily tried to catch their breaths.

“You really do taste like chocolate” Akaashi chuckled, unable to stop himself from smiling.

Bokuto stiffened and choked, embarrassed that his first kiss with Akaashi hadn’t been with a perfectly minty mouth.

“Shit, sorry” he said, voice cracking under an exasperated laugh as Akaashi pulled him into a hug.

“Mm...I don’t know,” Akaashi said, smiling softly into the warmth of Bokuto’s chest “I kind of like it because it’s you”

“...Really?”

“...Yeah”

Bokuto hugged him tightly before sweeping his bangs away and gently kissing his forehead.

“Happy New Year, Akaashi” 

“...Happy New Year, Bokuto-san”

Silence.

The most comfortable silence ever.

“Hey...do you think you could kiss me next year too?”

“...sure.”

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Post-read secret: "Ōmisoka" just means "New Year's Eve" in Japanese <3 
> 
> Thank you for reading!  
> Kazehana -- the main storyline, will release soon! — and will definitely be more detailed and tooth-rottingly fluffy.
> 
> Follow me on twitter @pinkboke for updates! I also post art when I get around to drawing!


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